


Good With Words

by frek



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: And a Derek who won't, And a Stiles who likes to sing, Boys that don't say what they should, Boys who don't believe they can be loved, Boys who eventually get their shit together, Dirty Dancing References, First Kiss, M/M, Stupid boys falling in love, sterek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-03
Packaged: 2018-02-07 06:49:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1889010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frek/pseuds/frek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They're both not good with words.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Good With Words

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Finduilas](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finduilas/gifts).



> Written for [Ine](http://finduilasclln.tumblr.com) for her birthday. I'm sorry this was so late, darling. I hope you enjoy it. Happy birthday. Thanks for being such a lovely friend. <333
> 
> I was inspired by [this image](http://prettyboysandivy.tumblr.com/post/85371349732).

They're both not good with words.

Derek doesn't say much. And he finds it especially difficult to say anything when it's supposed to mean something. The words are there, sitting at the forefront of his mind, patiently queued just waiting for their opportunity to shine, for Derek to lend his voice to them and share them with the world. Well, share them with the one person they're meant for, at least.

Stiles is good at talking, at saying everything on his mind. Everything but the important things. He can spend hours dancing around the very subject he most wants to broach without ever actually coming close to bringing it up. Especially with the one person he most wants to open up to.

\- - -

Derek watches Stiles, sitting across the table from him. Everything about him is big and broad and loud. From his shirts to his words to the gestures his limbs make as he talks. It amazes Derek that Stiles can take up as much space as he does, like his very being is spilling out of the confines of his body into the surrounding space. Spilling until the particles of his self are mingling among Derek's; fitting themselves in and smoothing his rough edges perfectly like a puzzle itching to be solved.

Derek doesn't realize it at first, the way Stiles fits in around him, it's that seamless. But when he does, Derek can't help but focus on it whenever they are together. He watches Stiles talk and gesticulate, lets the constant stream of his words wash over him, soothe him in ways that others' words never did. Even when he knows he should be annoyed by the constant chatter, Derek can't bring himself to be. Having Stiles by his side has helped him find a part of himself that he had thought he'd lost long ago. The part that smiles and laughs. The part that is happy and light. The part that Derek hasn't experienced since his family had gone.

Derek wants to tell all these things to Stiles, to open up and fit his words in with all of Stiles'. But Derek isn't good with words.

\- - -

Stiles watches Derek when he can. It's not often enough, what with Derek being so damn perceptive. But when Derek speaks, Stiles has free reign to do just what he wants. He has to give Derek his undivided attention after all. So he smiles and nods when appropriate. Or maybe he frowns and shakes his head. He doesn't offer his own words because he doesn't want to drown Derek out.

Everything Derek says is important to Stiles because he says so little. If Stiles had his way, though, he'd have Derek talk all the time. He'd let him say all the things that are probably on his mind. He'd coax every syllable past his soft lips, his gentle voice filling the air and washing over Stiles, making him smile and blush with just how happy he is knowing that Derek is talking to him. 

Instead, Stiles has to savor every syllable, like the fine wine Derek's voice is. And so he does. He listens like his life depends on it (which in some cases it actually does), committing the sound of every word to his memory to replay again later, when he's alone and free to smile stupidly as he thinks about the way Derek's lips form around the consonants and vowels, as he remembers the way Derek's eyes meet his. Stiles wants to spend the rest of his life listening to Derek. He wants more. But he'll take what he can get.

Stiles wants to tell these things to Derek, to share with him every last thought instead of dancing around them like he usually does. He doesn't, though, because he can't do them justice. Because Stiles isn't good with words.

\- - -

Derek leads Stiles through the preserve one night on a patrol. He normally goes on his own, but tonight he wants company. They walk paths that are just as familiar to Derek as his own hands. He doesn't even need his supernatural sight to be able to see them. Stiles could use that ability, though.

Stiles stumbles for the fourth time over an upraised root, even after Derek had warned him. Derek laughs to himself and gets a snide comment in return for his amusement. Stiles keeps walking, though, stubborn as always as he follows Derek deeper into the woods. Blind and deaf to everything that Derek can see and hear, he seems to trust that Derek won't let him get hurt. The very thought of that trust makes Derek's chest tighten. Nobody's trusted him in a long time and the fact that Stiles does now means more than he can ever say. Not that he'd be able to say it even if he had the words.

When Stiles stumbles for a fifth time, Derek holds out his arm for Stiles to take. At his hesitation, Derek sighs. "Just take it, I can't have you twisting your ankle out here."

Stiles makes a sound of protest, but he slides his arm through Derek's, long fingers curling into his leather jacket. Derek tries not to focus on how good it feels to have Stiles holding onto him like this, how much he'd like this to be something that happens more often. He only moderately succeeds. They walk like this for a while longer, Stiles unusually silent aside from the thundering of his heart. It gives Derek the room he needs to focus on the forest around them, for anything that might be off, though he may spend more time listening to Stiles' heart than for any threat.

It isn't until they step out into a large clearing on the shore of the lake that the silence between them is broken. They walk past the last of the towering trees, out of the shadows of their leaves and into the bright wash of light the full moon casts on them. Stiles lets out this soft gasp that makes Derek's breath catch in his throat. He glances over at Stiles, sees the smile on his lips as he looks out over the moon reflecting brightly on the lake, his eyes wide and happy. Derek can't help but smile in return as Stiles faces him, talking excitedly about the view.

Stiles pulls out his phone and takes a picture and they step toward the lake to sit down. They talk for a while, nothing important is said, but the idea of just being by Stiles' side is enough to make Derek's heart flutter. He keeps looking over and meeting Stiles' gaze, the urge to lean forward and kiss Stiles getting stronger each time it happens. But Derek doesn't make a move. He's never been any good with romantic gestures.

\- - -

Stiles has wanted to kiss Derek for a long time now. So long that it's practically all he can think about when they're spending time together. He feels like he's broadcasting it out, like Derek could read him like an open book if he wanted to. He catches himself watching Derek's mouth as he talks, the way his lips part and he can just see the edge of his two front teeth. Stiles is mesmerized by it. He usually glances up into his eyes when he catches himself, before looking away in embarrassment, his cheeks burning.

He wonders why Derek never says anything, calls him out on the staring. But maybe Derek is just as oblivious about this as Stiles is being obvious. Either way, they're together more than they've ever been before and it's all Stiles can do not to seek out Derek's company more often. He wonders if Derek will eventually get sick of him if he keeps it up. He hopes not. It doesn't stop him, though.

Derek opens the door to the loft for Stiles, a happy smile spreading across his face and it's all Stiles can do not to launch himself at him, to wrap his arms around Derek's neck and capture those lips for his own. His imagination is already twenty steps ahead of him before he even takes a step inside the loft. In fact, Derek has barely stepped aside to let Stiles in before Stiles' imagination has them collapsing together on the couch across the room, bodies pressed intimately together. It takes a minute for Stiles to realize that he's not actually on the couch, but is still just standing outside Derek's door, staring stupidly at his beautiful face. 

Stiles shakes his head and steps into the loft, "thought you might like some company." It's mostly true. Stiles thinks Derek could always benefit from company, but more than anything this is for him. He'd rather spend time with Derek than sit in his empty house waiting for his dad to come home.

"I was just about to make dinner, if you wanted to help?" Derek asks as he closes the door, stepping toward the kitchen, gesturing at the ingredients spread out on the countertop. Stiles grins and nods, dropping his bag by the door and follows Derek into the kitchen. 

They spend the night making meatball subs with homemade marinara sauce. Stiles gets his hands slapped for stealing the shredded mozzarella from the bowl one too many times. Derek gets a bit of sauce on the end of his nose when he tastes it off the wooden spoon. And when Stiles moves to help him clean it off, they spend a long moment just staring at each other while Stiles sucks the sauce from the pad of his thumb. 

_This is the moment_ , Stiles thinks as he pulls his thumb from his mouth, lips parted just like Derek's. All he has to do is just lean forward a few more inches and slot their parted lips together. He could probably even deepen the kiss and taste the tart flavor of the tomatoes on Derek's tongue. But then there's the sound of the pot of sauce bubbling more violently than it should and Derek is turning away, spoon in hand to stir the sauce and turn down the heat. And Stiles is left standing rooted to his spot, staring at Derek's back, knowing he missed his chance again.

Stiles lets out a soft sigh and turns back to finish shredding the mozzarella. He should have known better, he's never been good at romantic gestures.

\- - -

As it happens, Stiles gets invited on a date with a guy from school. Derek tries not to get upset about it, tries to ignore the fact that he had wished he had asked Stiles first. Stiles is sitting at his kitchen table, eating the chicken nuggets he had bought for the both of them, talking about the invitation between bites. Derek's not certain, but he doesn't think that Stiles is excited about it as much as he's just wanting to go out and do something that's not spending an evening at the loft. Derek can't blame him, he can't imagine anyone wanting to spend all their time with him.

Despite his urge otherwise, Derek encourages Stiles to go on the date. He tells himself that it's for the best, that nothing would have come from his making a move earlier, anyway. Stiles smiles at Derek, wide and happy, and Derek feels like he's drowning. 

They spend the rest of the evening talking about anything but the date, threats nearby, games, movies, whatever comes up really. And then Stiles is getting up and waving goodbye, heading out to meet with Charlie or Carter or Chase, leaving Derek alone with his thoughts and probably a sad movie or two. Derek watches Stiles go and clears up the chicken nuggets Stiles didn't eat, tossing them into the fridge before crossing to his couch to find something to watch.

It's a long night for him, his mind focused on Stiles' date, imagining what Stiles is doing. Is Chris or Clint making him laugh? Is he getting Stiles to open up about his family? Is he appreciating Stiles as much as Derek does? He doesn't dare think about how Stiles feels about Connor or Chuck. He doesn't want to know that Stiles might be enjoying his time with the guy more than he does with Derek. The very idea makes his stomach churn and his mood sour.

At some point Derek finds himself watching Dirty Dancing and frowning furiously at the screen as Baby meets Neil. He's just about to turn the channel when his phone buzzes from the coffee table. He glances down to see Stiles' picture pop up on the screen and wonders if he should even bother. Of course he does, though, Derek long ago lost the ability to say no to Stiles.

He picks up the phone and unlocks it, opening the message Stiles had sent him. There isn't any text, just a picture. He opens the picture and feels his heart race at what he sees. _A picture of the lake with the full moon reflecting across the surface from that night about a month ago. There's some text across the photo, white words on the dark sky._ "You are what I want."

Derek doesn't even hesitate in replying. He quickly types out a quick _me too_ and presses send before he can talk himself out of it. He holds his phone in his hand, watching for a reply, anxious in a way he hasn't been in a long time. When his phone buzzes, he practically jumps, reading the message quickly. _I miss you._ Derek can't help but smile as he replies, fingers dancing over the screen. _Come over after. I'll be awake_. Stiles sends an _OK_ and a smiley face back and suddenly Derek's mood is better than it's been all night.

\- - -

Stiles tells his date goodbye at the restaurant, thanking him for dinner, and leaves in his Jeep to head back to Derek's, his stomach twisting nervously the closer he gets to the loft. He's glad he'd sent that picture to Derek now, but as soon as his fingers hit send, he had wanted to take it back for fear that Derek doesn't reciprocate the feeling. Derek does, though, and it's all Stiles had been able to think about the whole rest of his meal.

When Stiles pulls into the parking lot, he can see a light on in Derek's loft and smiles to himself. His stomach is roiling with nerves, but he manages to keep himself calm as he walks to the elevator and starts ascending to the top floor. He gets there and knocks on the door, even more anxious now that he knows Derek is just on the other side. He thinks about what he's going to do when he sees Derek. About telling him all the things he's wanted to say, but couldn't bring himself to. About how he wants to spend the entire night wrapped up with him, kissing and talking.

All his thoughts leave him, though, when he's faced with Derek staring back. Derek, in his soft sweat pants and sweater, his hair a little rumpled, his feet bare. Stiles' mouth falls open and it's all he can do to keep breathing, all thoughts of talking and acting gone just when he needs them most. Instead, he smiles and manages a lame, "Hi."

Derek smiles in return and Stiles wants to photograph that smile, wants to remember it for the rest of his life. It's the happiest he's ever seen Derek and he wants to remember that he's the reason for it. He makes Derek this happy. Nobody else. Just Stiles.

Stiles takes a tentative step toward Derek and then something in him just says _fuck it_ and Stiles is closing the distance between them. He throws his arms around Derek's neck and rushes in for a kiss, their lips meeting, teeth knocking together before they both manage to find a middle ground. And when they do, it's everything Stiles had dreamed it could be.

\- - -

They find themselves curled up on the couch a short time later, Derek's arm around Stiles' shoulders while Stiles leans heavily against Derek. _The Time of My Life_ is playing on the screen while Johnny and Baby dance and Stiles is mouthing the lyrics along with Johnny, looking over at Derek with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Derek shakes his head when Stiles looks at him imploringly whenever a woman's voice joins the man's. Stiles huffs, pouting when Derek doesn't play along, but it doesn't stop him from singing and it doesn't stop Derek from watching him with a fond look in his eyes. He wasn't lying when he had replied to that message. Stiles, with all of his quirks, is exactly who Derek wants. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me [@frek](http://frek.tumblr.com) on tumblr. :)


End file.
